This article is written by one amazing vet – Ivan Malyshev.
“The main problem of this virus is not that it just exists, but that only few vets have really seen it. You see, this is exactly the issue. In theory, this virus is studied in specialized educational institutions. But one thing is to study this virus and another situation is to see it in real practice. The next moment that I want to admit is that the clinical picture is sometimes very ambiguous and does not match the description in the literature. It might really mislead. Moreover, every single case is individual but the information in books is too stereotyped.
Now let’s talk about the misconceptions that can be associated with rabies. The first one is that the dog does not drink, is not able to drink and is afraid of water. It is a myth. This statement is most misleading. All dogs with rabies drank water. I diagnosed the illness and it was confirmed. This is due to the fact that animals have spasms and paralysis of the swallowing muscles only about 48 hours before death but luckily they get to the vet clinics much earlier. All of them drank willingly. Hydrophobia was not observed. Another misconception is foaming at the mouth and active salivation. I personally have never seen it. Although, according to the description in the literature, this is considered to be the most typical manifestations of the virus. My cases indicate that this is not an indicator.
But there were some clinical signs that were common in all my cases. The clinical picture for these indicators had only slight deviations:
- Pyretic fever. The body temperature ranged from 41 to 41.8 ° C in all cases.
- Minimal or no response of the pupil to light.
- Dilated pupil and distinctive prolapse of the third eyelid.
- Specific movements in space. Animals are not able to walk straight. They move in their own manner in an elliptical pattern. The limbs are unnaturally straight, that is why animals seem to bounce and hurry.
- Prominent agitation. They are not able to stop moving even for a second. No fixed positioning. Their behavior is full of chaotic movements which are just meaningless.
- Hallucinations. It is enough just to take the animal outdoor and get a closer look at its actions. They always look around anxiously, point their ears up, listen carefully, even if there is no noise. We are talking about both auditory and visual hallucinations (four cases out of four).
- The fur is unnaturally puffed out.
- Animals are too tender. They are not aggressive (three cases out of four).
- Aerophobia. There is no fear of hydration, but there are prominent reactions to artificial air streams (three cases out of four). You just need to take a magazine and wave it towards the back of the dog’s head. The animal becomes anxious and starts whimpering. One of the four dogs went insane and started howling terribly.
- The mouth is always half-open (all cases).
- Eating nonfood items: stones, wood and wires. One animal was biting its kennel during the night. Moreover, it ate about one kilo of fine gravel (two cases out of four).
- Pallor of the mucous membranes (three cases out of four).
- Typical aggressive look. Dog’s snout is down. It looks at people with mistrust (three cases out of four).
So, let’s have a look at one more misconception. There is an opinion that it is enough to place a sick animal in a 10-day quarantine after the contact with it. If it does not die, then the situation is satisfactory. Still, it is not true. The danger has not passed. I remember one case when the dog had prominent symptoms only on the 28th day, when its quarantine was over and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It is important to remember that the virus moves in the axons of neurons at a speed of 3mm per day. This process is very slow, so 10 days is often not enough.
It has been argued that there should be direct contact. It is not true. Even if there is no bite, it is not a guarantee of wellbeing. Small particles of saliva can get on the mucous membrane of the eyes. Such situation is also very dangerous. By the way, this is how a Soviet doctor died in 1950. While he was examining the cat, it sneezed in his face. The man died on the 14th day.
I want my friends and colleagues to be careful. If you have some doubts, notify the state vet services (SVS). Tell your clients and friends about the particularities of this illness. Do not forget to have preventive rabies vaccine. This is about animals and their owners. The consequences can be really horrible. Just be careful.”
